Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Review - PS3

Game Description:Prepare for a Dynasty Warriors experience like no other. The most innovative Warriors game in years. for the first time ever, up to four players can now team up to take on some of the most challenging enemies ever to stand in the way of victory. The levels have been re-designed with the focus on team work and to overcome each level's strategic features and challenges. Massive bosses now stand in your way and it will require some serious team work to defeat these ultra powerful enemies. Astounding new abilities and powers will now enable the legendary Warriors to fight in the skies and unleash moves and attacks that will rock the battlefield to their very foundations. Characters can be enchanced and completely individualised through the clever use of special items that can alter their skills.These legendary warriors can now wield two weapons in battle. For the first time ever, you can select any sub weapon for any character. Most dramatic of all is the new Fury Transformation that puts shade. When a character enters their awakened state no enemy is safe.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Review

Stylized and fictionalized events from China's massive historical novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms are the basis for hours of hacking and slashing. Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is ported from the PSP title of the same name, and like that release features four-player online play, aerial combat and more RPG elements than any previous Dynasty Warriors title.

The Pros

Adds online multiplayer to consoles

Attempts battle scenarios beyond basic 'run and slash'

Customize weapons and powers via RPG elements

The Cons

Offline AI partners more useful than online friends

Combat can be intensely frustrating

Small battle areas not as epic and strategic as past maps

The Dynasty Warriors series could typically be summed up with the line that opens Fallout: "War never changes." Sometimes, however, it does. When Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce hit the PSP in 2009, it switched up tactics to offer small, contained battle areas and the online multiplayer action for which fans of the series had long clamored. The action worked well enough on the handheld, but does it have enough moxie to be worth a console upgrade?

Hit X. Hit it Again. Then Again!

It's easy to make jokes about Dynasty Warriors, as the series has long lived and died on a few basic concepts. Characters from the epic historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms are caught in eternal battle to unite or destroy feudal China, with every battle won and lost based (more or less) on the mashing of one controller button.

From one perspective, nothing has changed for Strikeforce. Has it got the same characters? Yep! Will you mash one light attack button ad nauseum? Check! Are there are a few other combat techniques, which add superficial color, while really underscoring how repetitive it all is? Absolutely.

But there are some alterations that make Strikeforce a significantly different game. Trouble is, it isn't a more entertaining game. Gone are the massive, wide-open battle plains through which military heroes used to race around like headless chickens. Now you'll move through maps made up of small, interconnected “rooms.” There's a lot more stuff in each of those areas than there ever used to be in a DW battlefield. That's a plus. But there are a great many drawbacks, too.

Often the new stuff requires aerial tactics to defeat. You'll encounter massive, multi-level machines and airborne foes. In theory, launching combat into the air is a great idea, since one of the long-standing criticisms of the series that it just presents the same old fight over and over again.

But one of the other long-standing issues is the camera. Somehow, the Dynasty Warriors camera has never been properly tuned. Strikeforce has a soft, unreliable lock-on targeting system, and while you launch into the air to fight wizard generals that zip about like hummingbirds, the camera will circle and swoop and do pretty much everything but help you keep an eye on the battle. When a few bosses gang up and relentlessly pile on with attacks while you lay prone, it’s wildly frustrating.

There was always something oddly satisfying about sweeping through the massive battle plains of previous games, eradicating one pocket of resistance after another. This time, not only are the areas much smaller, but enemies respawn, so there is often no way to clear out many regions. That's one small satisfaction the series offered, eliminated.

Misery Loves Company

Unless you've got friends who are absolute die-hard Dynasty Warriors players, there really is no reason to play with other people online. It works, yes, and with friends who are fanatics for the series you'll at least be in proper company. But playing solo, you can summon up to three other officers to fight by your side, and they can soak up a hell of a lot of damage. Oh, and they can't be killed. That sounds like a bug rather than a feature, but enemies and bosses will be appropriately stronger to compensate for your allies. Still, it's better to play with the extra help than without it.

A smaller addition to Strikeforce is the town hub. In between missions you'll repair to a cozy little village that sports a storehouse, armory, training center and a few other useful structures. At least it starts out cozy; over time you can boost each building using cards. Better buildings provide better gear.

“Wait,” you might ask, “why cards?” Good question, but after some missions you'll be able to talk to a new arrival in your town square, and doing so earns you that officer's card. You can place them on buildings to improve them, and when prepping for battle, you can combine cards to earn special tactics. At the very least, players who love gathering items and experimenting with tactical combinations will have plenty to do.

Unfulfilled Ambition

The difference between an epic game and a game with epic ambitions can often be in the details. Strikeforce cuts corners left and right, all of which undermine the details. You can carry two weapons, but each character has a primary weapon model, meaning that you don’t see the alternate weapon onscreen, even when you’ve equipped it. Switch to the second weapon and it won't appear in your hand while roaming around, but it will when you swing. Then there's the numbing repetition of the world. Only a few enemy character models are offered, so you'll slay the same grunt a million times. Many of the visual limitations have to do with the amount of action that will take place onscreen at once. With four allied characters fighting dozens of enemies, there can be a near visual overload.

Although Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce offers some new ideas, such as air combat, online multiplayer, and a town hub that implements an upgrades-via-card system, there are familiar cracks under the façade. The camera is still infuriatingly troublesome, it’s rather ugly, in-game AI is more beneficial than playing online with friends, and the enclosed battle areas don’t really improve on the sprawling environments you’ve seen ad nauseum. If you just want stuff, stuff and more stuff on the screen to mindlessly slice through, then pony up for Strikeforce. But if you want a battle game that rewards thinking, strategy and skill more than button-spam attacks and numbing repetition, consider a hasty, tactical retreat.

Comments are Closed

yah try so hard to find flaws in the game its based on ancient chinese history what do u want from koeiplus for all those who are asking why there still making this game its because this game has a large enough fan base to keep this game in productionpersonally its one of my favorite series ever(Next to ninja gaiden lol)

Now, either the people bashing and the reviewer are blind, or they really haven't played the series. Huge differences in the combat. I have played a lot of dynasty warriors, I mean hundreds of hours, and the combat change is huge.

First if you are mashing just square or X while playing this game you fail. They have included some interesting additions, for instance, dash attacks, special dash attack, move input commands, and special weapon type functions. Your primary and secondary weapons switch instantaneously creating some amazing combos, chains and spectacular killing attacks.

What this means, with a lil fighting game know how this game explodes into a whole new beast. There are few characters with repeated movesets, but all in all not many. The chi system allows for customizable growth and weapon forging that perfect killing tool.

The new officer system is a step in the right direction as it allows for some support when going up against 1-6 boss characters. Having those officers lvl up as the usable form is just great. Hate lvling up certain characters, but are a completionist? Just drag em around long enough and soon they are going toe to toe with the best. Another great feature is the command system, It allows you to have the AI prioritize with out having to hold their hand.

You want the truth? I am sure this game could be better, but if you think its just another in the series you don't know jack.

Now, either the people bashing and the reviewer are blind, or they really haven't played the series. Huge differences in the combat. I have played a lot of dynasty warriors, I mean hundreds of hours, and the combat change is huge.

First if you are mashing just square or X while playing this game you fail. They have included some interesting additions, for instance, dash attacks, special dash attack, move input commands, and special weapon type functions. Your primary and secondary weapons switch instantaneously creating some amazing combos, chains and spectacular killing attacks.

What this means, with a lil fighting game know how this game explodes into a whole new beast. There are few characters with repeated movesets, but all in all not many. The chi system allows for customizable growth and weapon forging that perfect killing tool.

The new officer system is a step in the right direction as it allows for some support when going up against 1-6 boss characters. Having those officers lvl up as the usable form is just great. Hate lvling up certain characters, but are a completionist? Just drag em around long enough and soon they are going toe to toe with the best. Another great feature is the command system, It allows you to have the AI prioritize with out having to hold their hand.

You want the truth? I am sure this game could be better, but if you think its just another in the series you don't know jack.

Now, either the people bashing and the reviewer are blind, or they really haven't played the series. Huge differences in the combat. I have played a lot of dynasty warriors, I mean hundreds of hours, and the combat change is huge.

First if you are mashing just square or X while playing this game you fail. They have included some interesting additions, for instance, dash attacks, special dash attack, move input commands, and special weapon type functions. Your primary and secondary weapons switch instantaneously creating some amazing combos, chains and spectacular killing attacks.

What this means, with a lil fighting game know how this game explodes into a whole new beast. There are few characters with repeated movesets, but all in all not many. The chi system allows for customizable growth and weapon forging that perfect killing tool.

The new officer system is a step in the right direction as it allows for some support when going up against 1-6 boss characters. Having those officers lvl up as the usable form is just great. Hate lvling up certain characters, but are a completionist? Just drag em around long enough and soon they are going toe to toe with the best. Another great feature is the command system, It allows you to have the AI prioritize with out having to hold their hand.

You want the truth? I am sure this game could be better, but if you think its just another in the series you don't know jack.

The thing with Dynasty Warriors games is, all you need is one. One of the many copycat versions will last the lifetime of your XBox. The game is entertaining on days where your head is pounding from a massive headache and you're wanting something simple, or you have a friend over who isn't really into FPS.In my opinion, I did have fun with a few of the games. But as the article above states, nothing really changes.

I would like to punch the person who came up with the idea to have floating enemies with infinite respawn capabilities bombard you with magic balls while the wall is shooting magic balls/lasers at you as you're trying to fight a boss guy who is also flying and is shooting magic balls in rapid succession as he heads into super saiyan mode while you are struggling to control a camera that has no intentions of cooperating properly.

I wrote a long rant about the DW6:Empires video review a while back about how the games were not being reviewed properly. This review was honest and gave merit where it was due. Thanks again, from an admitted fan of the series.

As an admitted fan, I'd like to point out that this game goes down as a fail in my book. The combat is extremely broken and gameplay has lost all that made me actually still like DW series after so many years and such lack of innovation. It's sad the innovation finally came on a portable console first and broke the good parts when it came. Granted it's because it's a near EXACT port from the PSP, but I still think they could have done better. If the next home console game released fills me with the same frustration this release has given me, I'll swear off the series all together.

Not A 5 Out Of 5 I'm SHOCKED!!! (sarcastically said) However I am a big Fist Of The North Star Fan and if they screw up that game I will fly to Japan Myself And Slap The CEO Of KOEI in the face with a dead fish.

I played Dynasty Warriors Gundam a few years ago for about fifteen minutes. WTF is this Sh__? was my first response. Worst part is that I had my brother take it back but he forgot about it after throwing it in his car and the 60 day return period was spent up. I never saw my sixty dollars again.

All the Dynasty Warriors Fanboys complaining about how G4 doesn't "review to the audience" is stupid. This review is perfect. The review isn't directed at Dynasty Warriors fanboys, because if you are a fanboy then you probably already have the game. And rather than ranting about how G4 gave it a 2, you should spend that time to actually enjoy the game. This review is good for the people who aren't traditional Dynasty Warriors fans. They see the newest Dynasty Warriors got a 2 and they'll probably think "Maybe this isn't the game for me." But if a person who doesn't normally like Dynasty Warriors sees that G4 gave it a 5, then they might think about buying it. This review is good for those people who aren't sure whether to check it out or not, because as I said, if you are a fanboy you likely already have the game.